


Going to Ground

by maaaaa



Category: The Sentinel (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:55:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23568682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maaaaa/pseuds/maaaaa
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	Going to Ground

William Ellison impatiently tapped the tip of his walking stick against the toe of his boot, scowling as he looked out across the coal black water. To the west, the sky was beginning to turn a nasty shade of burnt orange. Even without his son’s sentinel vision, he could make out jagged silver-purple blazes tearing at the atmosphere’s edge and crisscrossing the sky with explosive crimson flashes.

William drew a deep breath and opened his mouth.

“Don’t worry,” Jim stated brusquely, before William could voice his concern. “There’s plenty of time to go to ground before the Volley comes ashore.”

Jim stood a few feet from his father, staring off to the south, immobile save for the erratic twitching of his jaw.

William’s mouth snapped shut with a huff. He gave Jim a sidelong glance before looking again at the threatening sky, but deferred to Jim’s assessment.

It had been six weeks since Blair left. He had departed abruptly, with no explanations. He was just gone one morning; gone for good, never coming back. William was sure of it, but Jim was having difficulty accepting the fact, as evidenced by his growing sullenness and bouts of surliness.

As the weeks passed, Jim grudgingly used his fuzzy, worn down senses less and less.

And then, out of the blue, Jim announced he had purchased the contract of an indentured servant. William had scoffed at the notion; pointing out what a waste of money it was to invest in someone for only six or seven years of servitude. He and Jim disagreed vehemently over William’s use of slave labor in the family’s business, but as long as William was in control, there was nothing Jim could do about it.

But this acquisition was Jim’s decision. He had been fiercely adamant about it, which was why the two men were now on one of the loading platforms in Cascade’s trade district, awaiting the arrival of a transport from the East.

The air was beginning to chill and prickle with the smell and feel of the impending Volley as the transport finally came into view. It approached slowly, its engines quivering with a low hum. It hovered uncertainly for several minutes, rocking on the undercurrent of the breezes coasting in along the Pacific shore, before touching down.

Jim immediately strode to the end of the platform, jostling other bystanders out of his way, leaving William hustling to keep up. He reached the transport just as the doors opened and anxiously surveyed the steady stream of weary looking passengers filing out.

With a sudden whoop, Jim’s face lit up with a broad grin. And a moment later, he latched onto the collar of his guide and hauled him out of the crowd.

William caught up at this point, and stood off to the side, with a look of shocked amazement on his face.

“Blair!” Jim crowed in triumph as he hugged the younger man. “Blair,” he breathed in disbelief as he patted Blair’s back and mussed Blair’s curls and inhaled Blair’s scent. “Blair,” he affirmed as he crushed his guide against his chest.

A muffled greeting, suffused with his guide’s laughter, vibrated against Jim’s ribcage.

Jim pulled back slightly, holding Blair at arm’s length, as he gave his guide an appraising once-over, eyeing him critically.

“What the hell took you so long?” Jim demanded.

“Do you have any idea how hard it is to escape from the slave markets in Kansas?” Blair answered with a laugh.

Jim scowled. “I knew I should have come…”

“No,” Blair interrupted, “No way man, I’m okay. Well, except maybe for those couple of days when all they let me wear was a skimpy little loin cloth thingy,” he amended with a shiver. “But this,” Blair waggled a finger between Jim’s forehead and his own. “This worked. You knew, man, and you guided me home.”

William cleared his throat and stepped closer. “Jimmy,” he said.

Jim whirled around, his eyes narrowed to angry slits. He shoved Blair behind him as he swung out his arm, backhanding his father with a powerful blow that sent the older man reeling into a stack of crates.

William scrabbled backward, trying to put some distance between himself and Jim.

“What did that mutant tell you?” William hissed in a faltering voice, pointing accusingly at Blair.

Blair took a half step from behind Jim and peered around his sentinel. His eyes grew wide, changing from blue to violet to green as tiny flecks of gold, red, pink, yellow and orange formed a kaleidoscope and shimmered crazily as he gazed into William’s soul.

“Nothing I didn’t already know,” Jim answered in a calm, deliberate voice.

William cowered fearfully, shrinking away from the two men.

Jim reached down, grabbed the front of William’s shirt, and yanked him to his feet. He pulled his father close, smelling the man’s panic and deceit. He glared at his father and his next words were filled with dreadful promise.

“If you ever try to come between me and Blair again, I will kill you,” Jim stated flatly. He released the fabric that had been clenched in his fists and shoved William away forcefully.

Never taking his eyes from William, Jim reached for Blair. The guide took his place at his sentinel’s side and the two men walked away just as warning sirens began to peal in the distance.

William jerked at the sound and looked toward the sky in panic. The sirens grew louder, more insistent.

“Jim!” William shouted as he ran after his son.

Jim ignored him, severing their ties, as he ushered Blair to his truck, intent on going to ground.

“Jim!” William yelled again desperately. “Jim, you said there was plenty of time before the Volley,” he pleaded.

Jim looked over his shoulder at his father and spoke to him for the last time as he climbed into the truck.

“I lied.”


End file.
